Collin Klein’s efforts in Kansas State’s win over Texas likely not enough as major Heisman Watches project him to finish third behind Johnny Manziel and Manti Te’o

In the seven-plus decades that the Downtown Athletic Club has handed out Heisman Trophies, it’s never given the award to a freshman or a defensive player that didn’t make significant contributions on either offense and/or special teams well.

Yet Kansas State senior quarterback Collin Klein, the only one among the three finalists for this year’s Heisman that isn’t a freshman or a primarily defensive player, seems to be the least likely to capture the bronze stiff-armed statue.

“The Heisman was Klein’s to lose before the walls came crumbling down with No. 1 Kansas State’s crushing loss to Baylor Nov. 11,” SI’s Zac Ellis wrote. “Klein was the only one of the Watchma’s top three candidates to play on Championship Weekend, but his three-touchdown outing against Texas didn’t inject enough life into his deflated candidacy. Overall, Manziel had better late-seaso bested Klein on the stat shet: The freshman scored six more total touchdowns and recorded just more than 1,200 yards of total offense.”

For the second straight year, Klein completed fewer than 10 passes in a win over Texas. This time, on Senior Night, he went 8-of-14 for 184 yards and a touchdown while running for another 103 yards and 42-24 victory. But Klein, who struggled in the first half against the Longhorns, likely didn’t do enough to give him a chance to win man, despite Manziel and Te’o not playing this past weekend.

“If not for the debacle against Baylor, he’d be entering the ceremony as the favorite,” Chris Huston of Heismanpundit.com and CBSSports.com wrote. “If not for the debacle against Baylor, he’d be entering the ceremony as the favorite. Kansas State needed every one of his 2,490 passing yards, 890 rushing yards and combined 37 touchdowns to win the Big 12 title for the first time since 2003.”

Klein got 42 points in ESPN’s Heisman Watch poll, getting three of the 15 voters to list him second, eight others to put him third and four more to list him fourth. Klein got 10 points in Heismanpundit.com’s straw poll and also failed to get a first-place vote.